Our foundry cooperation between lithium battery companies has begun before the digital age
Recently, a listed company released an announcement to clarify related business data such as the asset performance of the target A (a cylindrical lithium battery company) to be acquired. According to the announcement, the second largest customer of battery company A is its peer competitor B (the new energy vehicle installed capacity ranking in 2017 shows that B ranks higher, and A is relatively behind).
High-tech lithium battery learned from many industry professionals that the phenomenon of foundry actually exists in all walks of life. The foundry cooperation between lithium battery companies has already begun before the digital age.
But what is more special is that the new energy automobile industry has driven the rapid development of the power battery industry for no more than 3 years, and the production capacity and technology of battery companies have not been able to keep up. In this context, as the technology of power battery companies presents different levels, the foundry is also stratified.
Specifically, the current foundry between power battery companies mainly exists in the same system, and most of them belong to the above-mentioned A and B corporate relationship. B belongs to the top-ranking company in the industry, and A enjoys a certain reputation in the market segment.
The emergence of foundry in the power battery industry is a choice made by power battery companies to reduce costs or insufficient production capacity.
According to GGII statistics, in the first three quarters of 2017, China produced 397,000 new energy vehicles and sold 398,000 vehicles, an increase of 41.3% and 37.7% respectively over the same period. The power battery output in the first three quarters totaled 32.02GWh, a year-on-year increase of 42.1%. Among them, the output of the top ten power battery companies reached 24.48GWh, accounting for 76.5% of the total.
Data shows that the top ten power batteries account for half of the domestic new energy vehicles. Specific to each battery company, their respective production capacity is not small. Generally speaking, the higher the ranking, the tighter the production rhythm and the greater the pressure.
According to the usual theory, power battery companies will 'do what they can'. But what is embarrassing is that automakers are more inclined to choose top-ranked companies for cooperation based on their own interests. Based on this, in the case of limited production capacity of battery companies with more orders, compared with long-term production expansion, some small and medium-sized enterprises will actively choose OEMs to reduce costs in the short term.
In the second quarter of this year, automakers and battery factories broke the news to Gaogong’s lithium battery. In addition to passenger car companies, major bus companies and special-purpose vehicle companies are more inclined to Choose large and medium-sized power battery companies with better technology and comprehensive strength as stable suppliers.
The main reasons behind it are: First, the country has put forward higher requirements for the safety, stability, and energy density of new energy vehicles and power batteries; In the after-sales requirement of 100,000 kilometers of warranty for eight years, vehicle companies will consider the long-term development and survival cycle of power battery companies.
At that time, Gaogong Lithium Battery pointed out in the 'Finding the Way Out for Small and Medium-sized Power Batteries' in 'The Way Out for Small and Medium-sized Power BatteriesAwkward period': The big factory doesn't love it, the small factory 'dislikes it'.
From the perspective of development in the past three quarters, small and medium-sized battery companies are indeed facing pressures to operate and even survive. According to industry insiders, some small and medium-sized battery companies have moved to fight in the low-end lithium battery market, or have become foundries for some of the top-ranked companies.
Specifically, the power battery system has a greater impact on the selection of foundries. For example, cylindrical battery companies choose to substitute unions more than square and soft-packed companies.
The industry believes that there are two main reasons: First, the domestic cylindrical power battery technology route is relatively mature and stable. From the equipment point of view, the peers are almost the same; The technical barrier of soft packs is slightly higher than that of cylinders, and the technical level of domestic square and soft pack battery companies is uneven.
Behind the foundry of power battery companies, it is also a transition phenomenon under the upgrade of the industry knockout. Most SMEs will withdraw from the power market, or keep part of their production lines as OEMs in order to earn meager processing fees.